Company membership of the ICV is becoming more and more popular. 73 enterprises support now the Association receiving in exchange many advantages:

• Experience exchange with the biggest controller association in Europe
• Preferential price for all events organized by the ICV for up to 20 employees (e.g. Controller Congress, regional conferences aswell as branch conferences)
• You are entitled to the free of charge presentation at the ICV website, at general meetings and branch conferences
• Free of charge active participation in regional work groups
• Four free subscriptions to the Controller Magazine (6 issues per year, personalized, subscription included in the membership fee)
• Free special subscription to Alfred Düsing, Chief controlling statements
• At request: we show your logo on our Homepage in the area “Firmenmitglieder”
• At request: we "like" your company's Homepage on Facebook

We thank you for your trust and support!

Find more about the membership and register!

In March the ICV Office moved -  the new offices are still in southwest suburban Munich, still together with Controller Akademie. We informed about it. But that's not the only thing that's different now.

The responsibilities in the ICV Office team changed. Sieglinde Wiesmann is now in charge of the bookkeeping dept. (incl. travel expenses) while Gundula Wagenbrenner is in charge of membership-services and all working groups outside the D-A-CH-region). Silke Neunzig is still in charge of everything according our IT/website while Carmen Zillmer still organizes our Controller Congress.

We will be happy to serve you further on.

ICV team of the Main Office

According the the reaseach conducted by Deutsche Bank the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany have fundamentally changed their financing structure: the share of equity in the balance sheet total rose from about 6% on average to over 22% since 1997. By contrast, the capital ratio of large companies in the same period rose only slightly to 29% from 25%. The main reason for the considerable improvement of capital levels especially with regard to SMEs is likely to have been increased requirements by banks in the last few years: for the banks, with the introduction of Basel II, capital requirements for corporate loans became more differentiated according to the level of risk, i.e. loans to lower-rated borrowers have to be backed by more equity since then and are therefore more expensive. Companies for their part had an incentive to strengthen their balance sheets because this enabled them to reduce their financing costs.

More: http://www.dbresearch.com/servlet/reweb2.ReWEB;jsessionid=156EED263A067305DA859460647FB531.srv-net-dbr-com?rwsite=DBR_INTERNET_EN-PROD&rwobj=ReDisplay.Start.class&document=PROD0000000000302455

Only till April 21, 2013 (day of the general meeting) will Dr. Herwig Friedag be the Head of the Public Relations Committee.

He has actively worked in the Committee for 20 years, mostly as its Head.  As Siegfried Gänßlen says: "With his long years work Herwig Friedag sacrificed his lifeblood and engagement to ICV PR-projects. He (…) raised the „digital world“ of the ICV to the next level. Until today there is no successor arrangement, but the Board will try to find a solution by the general meeting”.

The Office in Munich changed its address!

The new address is:

Münchner Str. 8
D-82237 Wörthsee

Germany

Tel. +49-(0)8153-88 974-20
Fax: +49-(0)8153-88 974-31

The ICV and its ideas are spreading in Europe, but also in Asia! As Dr. Zhen Huang writes:

Since its market introduction at the beginning of 2012, the “3-Stages Program for Controlling & Controller Training“ in Chinese language, a co-operation project between CA Controller Akademie and Dr. Zhen Huang Corporate Performance Associates, has been greatly welcomed by German-invested companies in China. By the end of 2012, more than 90 participants coming from 18 companies took part in the public seminars or in-house training sessions. The majority of the seminar participants come from companies in the automotive & automotive supply, mechanical engineering, and chemical industries. Both subsidiaries of large business groups and small-to-medium sized companies sent  their employees to the seminars. The majority of the participants were very satisfied with the seminars. More than 3 of 5 respondents of the training feedback survey were ready to recommend the program to their colleagues or friends.

From this year, German Industry & Commerce (GIC) Great China Shanghai Branch, the service providing arm of German Chamber in China/Shanghai, will also recommend this program to all members of German Chamber by listing the program in its annual seminar catalogue. More information about this program can be found at www.ChinaControlling.com.

Sustainable development in - Economic, Environmental, Social – insurance/ prize awarded at Stuttgart Controlling Conference.

Stuttgart/München, 30.11.2012 – Am Thursday (29th November) Hansgrohe SE from Schiltach in Black Forest has been awarded with the Green-controlling prize of Péter Horváth's Foundation in collaboration with International Controller Association (ICV) for Controlling Solutions "Green Controlling - Green Profit - Green Future".

The 10,000 EUR prize was given for the second time during the conference "10th Controlling Competence Stuttgart - CCS 2012". Jury chairman Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth (Horváth AG, IPRI gGmbH, director of ICV Ideenwerkstatt) handed the prize to Hansgrohe controller team in IBM forum Ehningen during the conference "Controlling Competence Stuttgart – CCS 2012"

Péter Horváth explained in a laudation the jury's decision. He found that the controlling community has "recognized the importance of the environmental sustainable development for their work." "In business practice, there are now encouraging approaches to implement and develop in environmental management". This is done, but it is still too narrowly without involving controlling within the meaning of more technically-oriented "island solutions". Here controllers are required.

With the Green Controlling prize Péter Horváth Foundation's distinguishes the most innovative and effective solution for controlling development and implementation in ecologically oriented strategies, programs and projects. Any integrative solutions will be awarded  to controllers in companies and public institutions for initiating shaping that issue.

Controlles as a "Business partner of management" were given a task to prove that "numbers are written by green issues", said jury chairman. "We have to ensure the balance between three pillars of sustainable development - economic, environmental and social". Péter Horváth outlined in his speech a triple challenge for controllers": It will be required "with the company's strategy  a coordinated integrated system of management of all environmental activities";also clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); a goal-oriented economic management; lastly that this system will be implemented, maintained and developed. "This year's winners have in an ideal way developed a master plan and implemented it. The plan is integrated consistently and systematic at all levels of strategy in the  planning and management in the environmental orientation. Controlling as "Business Partners" is on the way to "Green Company".

The Green-controlling prize of Péter Horváth Foundation was given for the second time in the southern German ICV conference  "Controlling Competence Stuttgart" The ICV had already taken up the theme of "Green Cost" in 2009 in his Innovators Panel, the "Idea Factory". White Paper was published in end of 2010. In the meantime  ICV work group works go on. , Péter Horváth's Foundation in collaboration with International Controller Association (ICV) will promote  the most innovative and most effective "green" controlling solution.

The number of Members of the Team of the Ideas Workshop is now two digits. Already at his first session in October Prof. Jürgen Weber was willing to join the Team. "Prof. Horváth and Dr. Michel are happy to welcome Prof. Weber who will support the Ideas Workshop with his ideas and his wide knowledge" - announces the management board.

See the names of all members of the Ideas Workshop here.

Economic uncertainty makes corporate planning more difficult – Emphasis is on cost efficiency and focused growth

Fourth edition by Roland Berger and the International Controller Association (ICV) shows that the euro crisis and economic fluctuations are forcing CFOs to plan carefully

• Focus in 2013 will be on product portfolio, production and working capital management
• Companies will strive to cut product costs, optimize their products and identify growth opportunities
• Special section on the euro crisis: Paralysis – Different views about the euro crisis within a company is impeding the development of crisis scenarios and emergency plans
• Clear guidelines and scenario planning are necessary to get off to a good start in 2013

Munich, November 2012: Uncertainties about the economic situation have increased over the course of the year. This is just one of the findings from the latest "Operations Efficiency Radar", conducted by Roland Berger and the International Controllers Association (ICV). The study also found that German companies are more careful about their planning and more focused in their growth efforts. At the same time, they strive to improve cost efficiency. This means priorities in the CFO agenda for 2013 have changed: For the first time ever, working capital management ranks among the top 3; accounting and finance remain high on the list in 4th place, while purchasing has moved up from spot 8 to 5. For this study, Roland Berger and the ICV surveyed over 100 CFOs and accounting executives at manufacturing companies. The survey also revealed differences among the various industries: whereas managers in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector tend to be more optimistic, the mood in the automotive industry is much more cautious. Furthermore, responses to questions about the euro crisis demonstrated that different opinions about the impact of the crisis can exist within the same company. In such cases, clear guidelines and the use of scenario techniques can help to develop company-wide planning for the upcoming year.

"The trend for 2013 will be on more focused growth. This is because companies are currently planning with considerable caution, as it's difficult to predict how the economy is going to develop," says Oliver Knapp, Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. "Simultaneously, CFOs are looking at actions to optimize costs in various areas and thereby prepare themselves for a possible crisis."

Focus on costs

Whereas last year the focus at many German companies was on growth-oriented actions, CFOs today are looking more closely at costs along the value chain. Although 74% of those surveyed feel that identifying growth opportunities still has top priority at their companies, cutting product and sourcing costs has for the first time made it high on the CFO agenda with 72%. "Attention to costs has gained new significance. Companies are not only interested in tapping new growth segments; instead, they want to optimize their costs in order to survive a possible crisis," explains Conrad Günther, ICV Board Chairman.

This development also reflects the three new levers among the top 10: streamlining the product portfolio, applying business purchasing levers and optimizing inventories along the supply chain. "All three levers show that companies are determined to cut costs," says Roland Berger Partner Thomas Rinn. "For instance, existing supplier terms and conditions are being examined, purchasing volumes bundled and contracts renegotiated. When streamlining their product and service portfolios, companies can, for example, check which products continue to offer growth potential while ceasing to offer those with poor margins."

Industry-specific levers

Levers tend to be industry-specific. For example, the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry focuses on innovation and development to optimize its product and innovation processes and better manage its development network.

However, this is very different in the automotive industry: the focus here is on cutting costs in R&D and only "cross-functional cost optimization in development" is found among the top 10 levers. "The main reason for this is that the automotive industry tends to be more cautious about next year. A drop in sales in the industry is dampening the mood. In contrast, the chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry is expecting things to further improve in 2013," says Günther.

Economic uncertainty is driving scenario planning

The special section entitled "Quo vadis – Euro?" shows that major uncertainty still exists in terms of individual countries exiting the euro: 74% of those surveyed complain about diverging views within their company. Overall, 60% of the respondents believe it is unlikely that individual countries will exit the euro, whereas 40% believe this is possible.

According to Knapp, these diverging views on the future of the eurozone have "paralyzed" many German companies: "Such uncertainty at a company can significantly hamper business planning. If there's no consensus, often no or contradictory decisions are made. For this reason, only a few companies have so far come up with scenario planning or an emergency plan."

However, clear guidelines for all functions and precise scenario planning are imperative to raise risk awareness and better tackle any crisis. In doing so, CFOs need to take the following steps: identify those levers relevant to the company and define clear goals. Subsequently, the various actions must be synchronized with one another to avoid needless friction. Furthermore, an exact plan on how to apply the levers is important for determining the budget and team. After all, the CFO must remember to internally communicate the new actions and set up an accurate monitoring system. "This is the only way a company can determine if a lever is being properly used and if key goals are being achieved," summarizes Günther.

The study can be downloaded free of charge at:

www.rolandberger.com/pressreleases

and

www.controllerverein.com/Neues_aus_dem_ICV.107034.html

Subscribe to our free newsletter at: www.rolandberger.com/press-newsletter

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, founded in 1967, is one of the world's leading strategy consultancies. With 2,700 employees working in 51 offices in 36 countries worldwide, we have successful operations in all major international markets. The strategy consultancy is an independent partnership owned exclusively by about 240 Partners.

Survey about "Contract Management & Control" shows that companies are not so familiar with the topic of  "contract management controlling"

Munich / Wuppertal October 22, 2012 – According to a joint survey carried under German controllers for "Controller's e-News" newsletter and the IQUADRAT AG on “Contract Management & Controlling” one third of Contract Management is  being paid insufficient attention says the specialist in business processes optimization and documents. While 72% of respondents consider contract management as a controlling issue, but only in 53% Contract Management is operating in companies.

One of the questions: “why contract management is particularly important for companies?” 69% said it has a vital component in “Transparency”; 64%: “Risk Management” as well as 32% assumed it has contribution in “Project Management”.

Looking at the survey results;  by production planning and scheduling key data from all contracts must be take in into account, says the Controlling expert Dr. Antje Krey from International Controller Association (ICV). It is inter alia therefore, to maintain sufficient capacity, prepared  for  contract performance, control the liquidity so that all payment obligations can be met from the right contracts. Finally it's also about the ongoing assessment, whether risk reduction measures need to be taken or the balance sheet reserves have to be formed. It was "absolutely right" to involve Controlling in the contract management.

Jochen Luckhaus, Manager at IQUADRAT AG, adds; “Providing everyone a relevant, parallel access to content and key data, turns often out a severe challenge. Great assistance can provide specific software solutions. According to the survey results 43% respondents would add IT solution to contract management.

Any draft contract goes first through the controlling department!"

Asked what is the "most important aspect of contract management", 63% said "Monitoring of Conditions and Obligations". According to ICV expert Dr. Krey,  the same attention requires performance capacity;” It must be clear if there is sufficient capacity to attain, what is provided in the contract.” She warns that; greater focus should be especially given on projects and major contracts”. Generally, contract contents are found in both  earnings and liquidity planning, along with performance and capacity planning. Any draft contract draft of a company before signing, should not only go through legal department, but also by controlling and finance department, says Dr. Krey. “Screening ahead the contract content relevance of planning capacity, liquidity and balance sheet influence  is extremely important”. About half of the companies have some catching up to do in this aspect, shows the survey. “Controllers can provide a true input into contracts” says Dr. Krey. As interface experts, they have a good overview, which is even better than the specialist department; which  can affect  potential overlapping of projects and service dates, or it may concern information about services which during the year, are cheaper. This knowledge can be useful if all above-mentioned contract draft are run by Controllers before signing.

In relation to the survey results “Contract Management as a component of Working Capital Management” is on the second place with a score of 22%.” This is a relatively small part, that must and will certainly increase" said Dr. Antje Krey. "Finally, for example, obligations payment from contracts, should be fully taken into account in the cash flow planning."

Controlling E-News is a weekly  free service of the International Controller Verein  eV (ICV). The ICV has in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and 12 other countries in Central and Eastern Europe around 6,500 in practical Controlling active members. The key objective of ICV controlling philosophy is reaching permanent economic success. With its honorary chairman Dr. Albrecht Deyhle the association, founded in 1975 has shaped the Controlling in German speaking countries placed and influenced. The ICV merges controllers, CFOs, managers and scientists and  it is strictly oriented its members’  benefit.

Experience, communication and being focused  on future-oriented trends are foundations of ICV.

ICV combines practical experience with the latest research results and prepares its knowledge for practical implementation. The ICV is makes personal contribution to the success of its members and to the sustainable performance of companies. Siegfried Gänßlen is the chairman of ICV, CEO of Hansgrohe SE, Schiltach, Vice-Chairman of ICV is Prof. Dr. Heimo Losbichler, FH Steyr.

For more information:

• H.-P. Sander, Presse ICV, EASTWESTCOM, Lachen-Birkenallee 16, D-86911 Diessen am Ammersee, Tel. +49-(0)8807-94 90 94, presse@controllerverein.de
• Internationaler Controller Verein [International Controller Association], branch, Leutstettener Str. 2, D-82131 Gauting
• www.controllerverein.com

IQUADRAT AG founded in 2000 in Wuppertal is a system and software company that offers solutions to support document-oriented business processes and to flexible reaction to customer requirements. A wide range of services for consulting, system integration and implementation of information management systems complements the product offer. With its long-standing clients and partners IQUADRAT is known to have always the success of its’  customer in mind and that quickly reach goals.

For more inforamtion:

IQUADRAT AG, Jochen Luckhaus, Lower Lichtenplatzer Street 100, D-42289 Wuppertal, Tel: +49 (0) 202/74 747-0 jluckhaus@iquadrat.de, www.iquadrat.de.

Prof. Jürgen Weber of the Institute of Management Accounting and Control (IMC) has introduced the WHU’s first app. The announcement was made at the WHU Campus for Controlling 2012 in Vallendar which was attended by more than 100 controlling experts and managers.

The WHU Controller Panel has been carrying out scientific studies on topics that are practice-relevant to Controlling since 2007. There is now an app for viewing insights gained from these studies as interactive graphics. The app is free and available to the whole Controller community. It can be downloaded for both smartphone and tablet at “http://controllingapp.whu.edu” and can also be used on PCs with webkit browser (Google Chrome and Safari).

With the app, Controllers and others interested in Controlling can access anytime and anywhere the most important key indicators in the field of Controlling and an analysis of the current situation.

The aim of the “Ideenwerkstatt” (Dream Factory) of the International Controller Association ICV is to systematically observe the field of controlling and recognize major trends. From this, the „Ideenwerkstatt“ develops the “dream cars” of the ICV, thereby making a major contribution to ensuring the ICV is seen the leading voice in the financial and controller community. Ideas and findings are transformed into concrete, working products in ICV work groups or other project groups. Members of the „Ideenwerkstatt“ are renowned representatives of the field of controlling from the corporate world and academia.

During 2010 and at the beginning of 2011, the „Ideenwerkstatt“ concentrated its work on the issue of green controlling as a response from controllers to the growing ecological orientation of controlling.

The trigger for choosing the theme in 2011 and 2012 came from the finding that the work of the controller often does not lead to the desired behavior effects among recipients of controlling services, namely managers. Approaches from psychology can provide explanations and solutions here.

The first ICV work group in England will be established in London in October. Now Milena Heim and a group of interested controllers look for other people ready to help. Milena Heim has some experiences in working for ICV work groups – she was in the team responsible for establishing Bulgarian work group and works actively for the German work group Berlin-Brandenburg.

There is a new group for English speaking controllers on Linkedin Controller Akademie International. Controller Akademie has also its facebook page where you can exchange your experiences and opinions. And the community of controllers meets also on the ICV facebook page.

Controllers know how important it is to always  look out for new opportunities and chances and possibilities to develop. In volatile times exchanging knowledge and experience acquires even more importance. Continues improvement of competences of controllers, especially controllers from International Controller Association, is close to our hearts.

On conferences and meetings of the CIV we could hear the voice of not German speaking leaders who value exchange of knowledge and experiences with their “more established” colleagues very much. We will be really international if not only we will found new work groups in different places in Europe and in the world, but especially when we will take international activities. That’s why we created the list of international ICV experts.

The list will be accessible for the leaders of “not German speaking” work groups, so that they could invite people from this list for their meetings. The travel and accommodation costs will be of course bear by the members of these work groups. Knowing hospitality of the members it can be not only an interesting meeting regarding the content but also a touristically interesting experience for both sides.

We hope all work group leaders will use this opportunity.

See the whole list here.

If you are interested, please contact Anna Włodarczyk: anna.wlodarczyk@icv.pl or +48 61 853 20 10

An interesting book on the list of positions in every controller's library appeared. Dr. Valentina Alexa, Associate Professor PhD at the West University of Timisoara, Romania, wrote "Controlling - an International Business Perspective" describing different approaches to controlling, also the one of the International Controller Association.

The book shows results of many years of study and research of Dr. Alexa. Dr. Alexa sees the importnace of controller's role as a manager's partner. As she notices, it's always relevant for a manager to know what happens outside and inside the company, what aims the company has at the moment, what is already accomplished. That's why he need help and support of controllers - who provide him with any important information.

The book shows the begginings of controlling, includes comparision of American and German controlling, describes international controlling promoters such as International Group of Controlling IGC and also International Controller Association ICV. It describes shortly controller's work in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (first countries in the ICV), in Poland, in Romania, in Spain and China. Later Dr. Alexa goes to the main topic - the international business perspective of controlling.

The book addresses many groups: economy students, controllers - practicioners working in large enterprises all over the world, all the others ibterested in the subject.

Title: Controlling - an International Business Perspective

Autor: Dr. Valentina Alexa

Published by Mirton Publishing Home, Timisoara, Romania, 2012

After seven year of working for the ICV in the ICV Board of Directors Bernd Schwarze leaves. His place in the ICV Board takes Karl-Heinz Steinke – Chef of Controlling in Lufthansa. Bernd Schwarze was responsible for internationalization strategy and after Adrianna Lewandowska took over, he was the Board representative in the Public Relations Committee.

 Bernd Schwarze leaving the ICV Board

 Karl-Heinz Steinke

What are successful companies doing differently than less successful ones? What is the impact of managerial accounting in that regard? How much can management accountants expect to earn? How do management accountants manage the crisis? The WHU Controller Panel provides well-founded answers to these and further questions. Its membership keeps increasing steadily and has now exceeded the threshold of 1,000 active members.

“We are very happy about the broad acceptance that the WHU Controller Panel enjoys. Our service of providing insights on scientific quantitative benchmarks with regard to managerial accounting topics is unique. Our figures show interesting developments with respect to the change of the role and the responsibilities of the management accountant. Due to the support of its members, the WHU Controller Panel makes an important contribution to developing the management accounting community in German-speaking countries.” says Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Weber, who along with Prof. Dr. Utz Schäffer heads the Institute of Management Accounting and Control (IMC) at WHU – Beisheim School of Management.

The WHU Controller Panel was founded in close collaboration with the Internationaler Controllerverein (ICV) in 2007. Since its establishment, it has developed a reputation of fostering the dialogue between managerial accounting practice and research in German-speaking countries.

Management accountants and managers working in finance or related areas may register for free at www.whu-controllerpanel.de . Membership benefits include an exclusive access to study findings and a discount on the participation fee for the annual conference “Campus for Controlling” at WHU in Vallendar. Furthermore, members are invited to participate in online-based surveys which deal with current aspects in managerial accounting. These may include classic subjects of interest to management accountants such as reporting and planning as well as topics of recent interest such as handling the financial crisis.

Contact:

WHU Controller Panel
whu-controllerpanel(at)whu.edu
www.whu-controllerpanel.de

WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
Institute of Management Accounting and Control (IMC)
Burgplatz 2, 56179 Vallendar, Germany

February 14, 2012

Horváth & Partners reports to have received some very interesting results with its blitz-survey of the CFO panel at the end of 2011. The main objective of the survey was to examine which factors foster a lean management accounting with regard to effectiveness and efficiency, and which measures of improvement are used here. The responses came from almost 200 people responsible for finances in big international companies active in various sectors.

A unified understanding of value flow as well as customers and products master data were given by Horváth & Partners as one of the main requirements for a lean management accounting. According to the survey people responsible for finances still see above all a great space for improvement in standardization. They recognize the potential for development in reducing the complexity of a management accounting. The authors of the study report that the wide variety of employed methods and presented process variations left many participants of the study with too complex internal accounting systems. No doubt the respondents recognize the need to reduce and simplify the measures, e.g. in the field of calculating internal services, and it should be done in a lasting way.

Many companies have indeed already taken steps towards improving the area of types of costs and process costing systems. However, there are few and far between systems providing the management with tax-relevant information concerning customer and product results. If the CFO area was supposed to become a business partner for the management, the income statement would have to be formed really according to the attributes such as customer groups and products - reports Horváth & Partners.

In the matters of "IT-systems-based implementation of management accounting" the study led to surprising findings. What occupied the foreground of the study were not the standardization and reduction of complexity, but the effectiveness of IT-systems. According to the study many respondents still see great potential in strengthening business intelligence systems and in increasing the transparency of delivered data. "Common IT systems contribute only in a limited way to supporting the functioning of management accounting. This finding is therefore confirms evident potentials for improvement recognized by people responsible for finances in view of IT-based implementing of an efficient system", we can read in the management summary. "Such a support can provide neither business warehouse solutions nor SAP or other ERP systems, which are classified as very important functions of a customer and product managerial accounting or as a profit center-based accounting."

The findings of the inspection report »Successful Company Management by means of a Lean Management Accounting" are available at the token price of 70 euros at: cfo-panel@horvath-partners.com;

Relocating business activities to East Europe is becoming increasingly more popular among German companies. About three quarters of German companies approve of outsourcing projects in the countries of their East neighbors such as Poland or the Czech Republic - an 18% increase compared to the previous year. On the second position is India (28%) and Asia without China (17%). That is the result of a recent study "Models of Success for Outsourcing 2011" conducted by Steria Mummert Consulting in association with the Institute for Management and Business Research (IMWF - das Institut für Management- und Wirtschaftsforschung).


While considering business process outsourcing (BPO) 65 percent of German companies prefer to remain in the country of their main location (on-shore), 19 percent prefer the neighboring East Europe (near-shore) and only three percent decide in favor of off-shore countries (India, China, Brazil). East Europe is attractive for BPO especially in the transportation and logistics sector (25 percent) and in the banking sector (24%). Also in the IT sector 24% of companies have their services carried out in East Europe. There is an above average level of outsourcing in East Europe when we consider the infrastructure outsourcing of IT companies (30%), of the processing industry (28%) as well as the infrastructure outsourcing of transportation and logistics (25%). Only trade and insurances sectors are a bite more gingerly with relocating their infrastructure projects to East Europe and stand out with their puny 8%.


Especially energy & water industries like to hand their industrialized software testing, co-called management testing services, over to the near-shore countries. It was confirmed by 44% of respondents. Also an above average number of banks prefer to test their software in East Europe - as much as 38%, whereas the average is 21%. Especially significant is the fact that locations in Germany are losing in favor of near-shore locations only among managed testing services.  Banks and energy & water industries outsource each only 33% of this sector within Germany.


The major barrier for outsourcing to near-shore and off-shore locations is the concern of data protection. Three quarters of companies have named that barrier. 62% of companies have named the English language barrier. Exactly the same number of companies considers it problematic that documentations and applications are available only in German and as a result the near-shore and off-shore employees do not understand them thoroughly. "And precisely many small companies are set in the German market and are looking for German speaking service providers", says Dr. Stefan Schlömer, outsourcing expert at Steria Mummert Consulting. "In off-shore countries English is on the other hand a standard international business language."


Background information
The study "Models of Success for Outsourcing" presents the results of an online panel survey conducted by Steria Mummert Consulting in association with the Institute for Management and Business Research (IMWF - das Institut für Management-und Wirtschaftsforschung). The study was conducted by 207 IT people in decision making positions, managers, board members and CIOs from companies with at least 100 employees form the sectors of: banking, insurances, energy & water supplying, transportation and logistics, telecommunications, IT, health/health services, public administration, trade and processing industries.

Economic activity survey 2012: The mood is waning

32% of controllers still expects better results in 2012 / Survey results from December are close to the low level from the beginning of 2009

Munich, 11.01.2012 - As in previous years the branch-newsletter "Controller's E-news" of the International Controller Association (ICV) surveyed controlling experts at the beginning of the year, asking how they assess the economic perspectives of their companies in the new year. Whereas a year ago 57 percent of them forecast better results in the coming 2011 (2012: 56%; 2009: 22%; 2008: 51%), it's only 32 percent at the beginning of the current year. The survey results sank in December 2011 within only 14 days by 6%. The business activity survey showed that 34,5% did not expect any changes (2011: 31%) and 33,5% predicted that 2012 will be worse (2011: 12%).

"The mood at the turn of the years 2011/2012 has significantly darken. After all a rapidly sinking mood is to be taken seriously. However, the change wasn't unexpected and many companies had been prepared for it", explained Conrad Günther, Managing Director, ICV office. 

"As our joint study with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants 'Operations-Efficiency-Radar - the top lever 2012' showed only just last autumn, most companies had also planned to grow in 2012. But also then the companies were aware of the risks playing a crucial role in their plains to grow; caused by the Euro crisis and rapidly changing market conditions. To minimize risks, CFOs plan to enhance efficiency in order to make their companies more flexible in case of a setback. The so-called efficiency levers - strengthening of controlling as well as optimization and enhancing the efficiency of back office services - ended for the first time under top 10”. The ICV Managing Director provided his explanation for that: “Transparency is becoming more important when we have to deal with unclear future. Controllers as 'partner of management' can secure sustainable managing of their companies in volatile times, and in the meantime we are preparing our members from 14 countries for that. This year's motto of the European controlling highlight - the 37th Controllers Congress in Munich on May – is 'sustainably successful: controllers as business partners'.”

The biweekly "Controller's E-news" have about 11,000 subscribers, the ICV publishes also an additional monthly issue in English. Both versions can be subscribed to on the ICV-Website at: www.controllerverein.com - free of charge.

The "Controller's E-news" survey from December 2011:

What are your expectations of your company's economic results in 2012?

Improvement: 32% (2011: 57%; 2010: 56; 09: 22; 08: 51; 07: 54, 2006: 61)
Without any change: 34,5% (2011: 31%; 2010: 27; 09: 34; 08: 34; 07: 29, 06: 26)
Worse than before: 33,5% (2011: 12%; 2010: 17; 09: 44; 08: 15; 07: 17, 06: 13)

First Green-Controlling-Prize goes to Deutsche Post DHL

Controller as Partner of the CO₂-Management / Prize awarded for the first time at the specialist conference "9. Controlling Competence Stuttgart - CSS 2011"

Stuttgart/Munich, 11/24/2011 - The Carbon Accounting & Controlling Team of Deutsche Post DHL (DPDHL) was rewarded on Thursday (November 24) for its controlling solution as part of the environmental program "GoGreen"  with the Green Controlling Prize. The prize was awarded by Péter Horváth Foundation in association with the International Controller Association (ICV) for the first time. The transparency created by the Controlling Team makes possible, above all, identification of financial risks and effective controlling of ecological measures.

The DPDHL Team Carbon Accounting&Controlling received the award on the specialist conference "Controlling Competence Stuttgart - CCS 2011" on an IBM forum Ehningen from the hands of the presiding judge Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult.  Péter Horváth (Horváth AG, IPRI gGmbH, Leader of the ICV-workshop) and the ICV Board Chairman Siegfried Gänßlen (CEO Hansgrohe AG) "Carbon Management is a social task which we face at Deutsche Post DHL constantly and on a cross-sector level", said Melanie Kreis, Executive Vice President of Corporate Controlling at Deutsche Post DHL.  "Our today's distinction means that the whole approach has been acknowledged and at the same time it reflects engagement of numerous colleagues taking part in the project."

The criteria "fulfilled outstandingly well"

In order to develop and implement environmental management in the company practice, which goes beyond technically-oriented "island solution", you need to integrate into the process controlling. As the presiding judge Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth explained in his congratulatory speech that from that resulted a threefold requirement for controllers:  "Necessary is, first of all, an integrated general system of controlling all environmental processes which synchronized with the company’s strategy. And secondly precise KPIs (Key Performance Indicators - performance ratios) are needed, which make possible target-oriented economic controlling. Thirdly, this system has to be implemented, cared for and further developed", clarified Horváth.

The Green-Controlling-Prize winners from Deutsche Post DHL developed an environment controlling system which fulfilled all these criteria outstandingly, added Péter Horváth.  It was suppose to be the key to a strategic-oriented general program for supporting the management. He said that an extensive set of KPIs for controlling made sure that planning, reporting and control could be translated into practice on all company levels. In addition, there were precise controller task appointments for implementation, maintenance and further development of the system which were introduced enterprise-wide.

Controller as a partner of the CO₂-management

Deutsche Post DHL transports goods and information worldwide as a globally acting logistics service provider with about 470,000 employees. As a part of its role as an engine of world trade the company causes CO₂ emissions on not a limited scale. "In order to make justice to the responsibility for our climate that falls to us because of that, we have initiated the environmental program GoGreen", explained Stefan Freigang, responsible for Carbon Accounting & Controlling at DPDHL concern controlling, who presented the solution in the plenary meeting CCS 2011. Carbon Accounting & Controlling supported the concern's GoGreen program which the company had set as its aim. The aim was to enhance its own CO₂ efficiency - including activities of its subcontractors - till 2020 by 30% in relation to the basis year 2007. According to Stefan Freigang this enhancement would be facilitated by numerous measures, both centralized and decentralized.

The concern-wide Carbon Accounting & Controlling program would be pushed ahead by a newly founded in 2012 department in concern controlling. The innovative element of the awarded solution is to consequently integrate into an organization a system of controlling CO₂ efficiency aims, processes and systems of financial management. A management reporting, running through the whole year, it to be created for an effective management - additionally to the annual disclosure -. The developed tools also enabled the company to forecast, set aims and calculate measures for increasing efficiency.

"Controllers play in the conception, implementation and application a fundamental role. They also become now more and more as part of carbon controlling partners of management, in addition to classical financial themes.", added Stefen Freigang   "Carbon Controlling" took place in synergy between controllers and managers. The created transparency in actual emissions made it possible to identify financial risks and an effective management of ecological measures.  In that way carbon controlling supported the management in making decisions and managing the company. It prepared and reported facts as well as model evaluations about possible economic and ecologial effects.

The International Controller Association (ICV) with its Idea Workshop and a team of scientists and controlling experts headed by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth dealt in 2010, in accordance with its focus point, with "Green Controlling". This work has been continued since the autumn 2011 by a new work group "Green Controlling". To facilitate this theme Péter Horváth Foundation in association with the ICV award annually the most innovative and effective "green" controlling solutions with the Green-Controlling-Prize.

ControllerPrize 2012 in the amount of 5,000 €

Award for "exemplary controlling work" / Closing date for submission of applications on January 31, 2012 / Award ceremony at Europe's biggest Controller Congress in May

Munich, November 02, 2011 - The International Controller Association (ICV)  has announced the "ControllerPrize 2012" in the amount of 5,000 €. By 31st January, next year, instances of "exemplary controller work" can be submitted to the international jury. The prize will be awarded on May 7, 2012 in Munich, at Europe's biggest controlling specialist conference; the 37th Congress of Controllers.

The ICV has published the submission documents for the "ControllerPrize 2012". The prize of 5,000 € for "exemplary controller work" has been awarded annually at Europe's biggest controlling specialist conference; the Munich "Congress of Controllers". The decision is made by an international jury headed by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Weber, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, Institut für Management und Controlling (IMC), Chairman of the ICV Board of Trustees, together with Prof. Dr. Andreas Seufert, Hillert Onnen (both from Germany), Mag. Hubert Tretter (Austria) as well as Dr. Luc Schultheiss (Switzerland). The praiseworthy controller work is supposed to contribute to considerable changes proven in practice. Changes which do not concern only controlling itself, but have contributed to the success of the whole company.

Previous ControllerPrize winners are: Sick AG (2003), Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH (2004), T-Online International AG (2005), Kaufhof Warenhaus AG (2006), Hansgrohe AG (2007), Lufthansa CityLine und Wittlinger Therapiezentrum/Dr. Vodder Akademie (2008), Fiege Gruppe (2009), Bundesagentur für Arbeit (2010) and McDonald´s Deutschland Inc. (2011).

The "ControllerPrize 2012" will be awarded on May 7, 2012 at the 37th congress of controllers in Munich. The submission documents are available online, on the ICV website (www.controllerverein.com) at the path "Actual" - "Awards". The applications can be submitted by January 31, 2012 at the ICV Office in Gauting/Munich. There are details about the controlling projects to be provided: the situation before and after completion of the project, cause, aims, implementation and participants as well as experiences; also evidence is to be provided on how the project has contributed to the success of the company. Entitled to participate are all controllers who have accomplished a project in a profit or non-profit organizations in the last twelve months. The project must have not been submitted to any other competitions nor elsewhere published.

The 11^th “CIB – Controlling Innovation Berlin 2011” took place last weekend. The motto of the conference was “Controlling is (also) communication”. The meeting held on the 15^th October attracted more than 100 controllers, not only from Germany. And for one day Berlin was the capital of controlling.

The conference started with the speech of Dr. Walter Schmidt, an ICV - Board Member. He stressed that building confidence with key – messages is a task for every controller – the question is how to communicate and transfer these massages in the daily controlling work – using numbers, analysis, data bases or Business Intelligence Systems. The CIB 2011 tried to answer this question.

The intercultural communication was also one of the conference subjects. Frank Bannys, chief of Competence Connects Cultures named the reasons for conflicts and misunderstanding in international controlling knowledge and described the influence that the culture has on communication.

At the end of the day Jurate Keblyte  talked about her experience as controller and stressed that it’s not enough for controller to remember numbers only – discussions and explanations are also necessary.

You can find all CIB materials and presentations in German here.

• Survey of over 100 chief financial officers (CFOs) and commercial directors of manufacturing companies on optimization levers planned for 2011

• Conclusion: businesses aim to drive growth while increasing efficiency at the same time

• The focus is on product portfolio, production and working capital management

• Purchasing and logistics are becoming increasingly important

Inorganic growth is a major option

In 2010, the German economy turned the corner following the worst economic crash since the war. Many businesses have moved on successfully from restructuring to growth mode. The economic upturn appears to be stable, and is set to continue in 2011 – although there may still be some setbacks along the way. The CFO Agenda 2011 confirms that business is confident: the focus is on growth projects, while at the same time increasing efficiency. These are the findings of a joint study in which Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and the International Controller Association surveyed over 100 CFOs and commercial directors of manufacturing companies.

"It is impressive how soon businesses are on course for growth again after the crash," says Thomas Rinn, Partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Roland Berger Principal Oliver Knapp adds, "In planning their agendas for 2011, CFOs are clearly aiming to grow again. At the same time, however, they are keeping their eye on improving efficiency." In their second joint operations efficiency radar, international strategy consultants Roland Berger and the International Controller Association (ICV) asked over 100 CFOs and commercial directors at manufacturing companies what their priorities are for the coming financial year. What they found was that companies will identify the growth issues that matter to them, streamline their product and service portfolios while at the same time creating future-proof portfolios in terms of design-to-value aspects. At the same time, however, they will have to keep on cutting their production costs, producing more efficiently and pushing ahead with product innovation.

Product portfolio and production activities planned

Respondents said the focus in 2010 was on product portfolios (53%), production (54%) and working capital management (62%). "In the coming year, nearly 70% of the companies are planning to work on their product portfolio and production once again," says Conrad Günther, Managing Director of the International Controller Association. "Purchasing and logistics are also becoming important again, while innovation and development are regarded as less important than before." The companies surveyed said the main challenges in the coming year will be generating and managing growth, optimizing production costs and becoming more flexible.

Ten success factors identified

In light of the switch from strict cost cutting to growth, the study includes a special analysis on the subject of strategy. The results show clearly that growth will be the number one topic in 2011. They indicate the CFOs will be aiming mainly at organic (78%), but also inorganic growth (nearly 50%). "At the same time, companies are planning programs of continuous improvement (67%) to make themselves more efficient, particularly over the long term," says Rinn.

"There are ten decisive success factors here," says Knapp. "These are: selecting the levers that are most promising for a company; defining clear, measurable, demanding targets; synchronizing levers to minimize friction losses; planning precisely how to use levers; forming cross-functional teams; creating requirements for budgets, for example; anchoring targets in personal target agreements, introducing effective project monitoring; holding regular reviews with management and supporting communication."

"CFOs can use the operations efficiency radar to help them make decisions when planning for the coming year," says Günther. "With the right planning and execution, companies can keep sharing in the recovery." Rinn concludes: "Once companies have done their homework in 2010, they will continue purposefully on course for growth in 2011 once more."

On 21st January, the Managing Board of the International Controller Association (ICV) convened a meeting in Munich for the first time in 2011. The Board Members Dr. Adrianna Lewandowska (Poland), Marcus Haegi (Switzerland), Conrad Günther, Dr. Walter Schmidt, Dr. Bernd Schwarze (all from Germany) met under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Heimo Losbichler, Deputy Chairman of the ICV. Due to urgent business reasons, Chairman of the ICV’s Managing Board Siegfried Gänßlen was absent. Hans-Peter Sander, who is in charge of the ICV’s press news, took part in the meeting as a guest.

The major point of interest of the January meeting were consultations concerning the objectives and the budget for the year 2011. It was argued on this occasion that the two should be linked even closer together, and that the governance could be continuously improved. To this end, measures were decided to be taken as part of the Managing Board’s ongoing activities which would ensure better transparency and more precise accountability for the budget. In this way, the Management Boards should take care of individual goals and the budget reserved for them according to the allocated accountability for the individual areas.

In the future, the Managing Board will devote the annual September meeting more in detail to the balancing between the business plan, the objectives and the budget appropriation.

The current budget draft developed in Munich will be worked on in the next weeks in cooperation with further accountable functions of the International Controller Association. The Managing Board stated the objectives for 2011 to include among other things: further growth in the number of personal and corporate memberships as well as the number of delegates in regional meetings, convention of a meeting of regional work leaders on 26th November in Frankfurt, specification of the international Association’s structure, intensification of the translation work of important documents into English.

During the January meeting of the ICV’s Managing Board, top priority subjects were discussed concerning the thematic tasks for 2011. A particularly high priority was allocated on that occasion to the continuous propagation of the “10 Core Elements of Sustainable Controlling” (“10 Kernelemente zum Nachhaltigen Controlling”). This year, the ICV is going to publish a new statement called “Modern Budgeting“ as well as White Paper “Green Controlling“ and also on the subject “Multiple Column Balance Sheet”. The “Controlling Process Model” developed by the International Group of Controlling should be discussed and disseminated across the Association. The preparations for the “Quality and Controlling“ as well as the “Risk Management“ Statements, which are going to be issued in 2012, should be continued. The Ideas Workshop will deal with the issues of “Behavioral Controlling“ as its priority topics.

The internationalization of the ICV should also be the target in 2011. Issues concerning further development of attractive services for Members from outside the DACH Region were intensively discussed. The widespread use of the English language across the Association is standing here in the centre of the discussion. Moreover, in Poland special 1-day seminars for ICV Members or AK Members were offered for the first time in cooperation with the Controller Academy. The conceptual work on models for the incorporation of the structures from outside the DACH Region (for instance special licensing models) will continue and should be finalised in the form of a draft proposal in 2011.

Other topics tackled at the Board Meeting included the preparation status of the 36th Congress of Controllers and winning of further ICV corporate memberships. The 2011 Congress agenda is available online, and will be deployed in the next days already as a printed version to promote the participation. Also this year, the aim is to achieve the number of 600 delegates. For the first time at this year’s Congress a special opinion and experience exchange platform will be offered to the delegates who, having been Controllers, have moved forward to become CFOs or commercial CEOs / business executives. This project is being carried out under the working name “CFO-Lounge“.

The Managing Board discussed the progress status as regards winning corporate memberships in the ICV. In 2011, the actual number should increase by 15 to reach the total of 50. The direct response of the companies through their board members stood the test. Also regional work leaders and other engaged ICV members are invited to take part in winning further corporate members. Specific measures aimed at implementing this important key plan were also included in the agenda of the ensuing joint meeting of the ICV’s Managing Board and the Board of Trustees.

Just as in the previous years, the Trade Newsletter “Controller’s e-News“ of the International Controller Association (ICV) conducted a survey among Controlling Practicians in Germany, Austria and in Switzerland at the beginning of the year on their assessment of the business outlook in their companies in the new year. 57 percent of them are counting with a better result in 2011 (2010: 56%; 2009: 22%; 2008: 51%), 31% are expecting no change (2010: 27%; 2009: 34%; 2008: 34%) and 12% are anticipating deterioration (2010: 17%; 2009: 44%; 2008: 15%).

“The picture at the beginning of 2011 has brightened up again compared to the previous year. A year ago, the Controlling Community counted to a large extent on the downturn to end and the business results to improve. This trend has continued; it has become especially obvious in the decreasing share of pessimistic expectations concerning the ‘annual low’“, says Conrad Günther, Managing Director of the International Controller Association.

“Enterprises can see themselves this year as facing the key challenge to generate and control growth. They also want to further optimize their product costs and increase flexibility. The Controlling must and can make an important contribution there. The International Controller Association supports significantly the Controlling Community in successfully persisting in their business practice, the latter having noticeably switched from the restructuring mode to the growth mode.“

What are your expectations with regard to the business results of your company in 2011?

Improvement: 57% (2010: 56; 2009: 22; 2008: 51; 2007: 54, 2006: 61)

The same result: 31% (2010: 27; 2009: 34; 2008: 34; 2007: 29, 2006: 26)

Deterioration: 12% (2010: 17; 2009: 44; 2008: 15; 2007: 17, 2006: 13)

The “Controller’s e-News“ biweekly has 13,000 subscribers, and the ICV also issues an English edition each month. Both versions can be subscribed for on the ICV’s website www.controllerverein.com at no additional cost.

The ad space in the German edition of the Controller's e-News for 2011 has already been sold out. For those who came away empty-handed we have another very good offer: our International Controller's e-News. This English newsletter appears monthly and convinces with an identical target group, an almost equal number of subscribers and a focus on our members far beyond the German-speaking countries (E-News archive). For more information, please contact verein@controllerverein.de

In the long run the right strategy is the crucial element for success or failure of a company. This insight was reaffirmed by the participants of a seminary held on December 7th and 8th in the Silesian Castle of Art and entrepreneurship in Cieszynie, Poland, under the direction of the ICV board member Adrianna Lewandowska. It was the third meeting of the project devoted to training and support. Succession planning was a central topic of the event as well as strategies for improving the competitiveness. The participants of the seminary worked out that succession planning is a multistep process that must go along with a well thought-out business strategy. Not only the owner family, but also the environment must be included in the considerations: employees, customers, the entire market. Among other things, the participants were impressed by an interactive lecture, after which they developed a vision for their company in 2020 with lots of enthusiasm and humor.

Here you can read the Polish press release.

The members of the ICV board reviewed the year 2010. There are a lot of good news like more than 1000 participants at the regional events as well as increasing numbers in company memberships. More informations you will find in the ICV Christmas Letter 2010, which as usual is also containing an acknowledgement to all the people supporting the ICV.

The first ICV work group in Croatia was founded on 30th November in Zagreb. Initiators and organizers of the kick-off meeting were Mrs. Jasmina Ocko from Zagreb, Croatia, and Mrs. Dragica Erculj, Head of CRMT Institute and ICV Regional delegate for South Eastern Europe from Ljubljana, Slovenia. Dragica Erculj reported about the meeting: “32 participants, controllers, managers and consultants from Croatian companies mainly, took part in this first workshop in a really working and inspiring atmosphere. It was about budgeting, titled “Has classical budgeting become history?”.  All participants are very interested in learning from each other, they have a great need to communicate with colleagues and they really see ICV as an opportunity to exchange experiences with controllers in Europe". The next meeting of the Croatian ICV work group will take place in March 2011. The work group’s website is under construction.

If you are interested to participate in the work group, please contact Mrs. Jasmina Ocko: jasmina.ocko@kognosko.hr.

On 28th of November in Frankfurt took place the regular meeting of the ICV Board under the direction of Prof. Dr. Heimo Losbichler, ICV deputy chairman. The meeting attended board members Conrad Günther, Marcus H. Haegi-Largo, Dr. Adrianna Lewandowska, Dr. Walter Schmidt and Dr. Bernd Schwarze. ICV chairman Siegfried Gänßlen had apologized. ICV press officer Hans-Peter Sander was invited to participate as a guest.

That meeting just followed another session hold the previous day. Various issues were discussed and the following decisions were made:

1) ICV will promote English as a second official ICV language. That includes future systematic translation of ICV papers, publication of news from the ICV community in English, assessment of opportunities for translation of articles from "Controller Magazin” and their continuous publication on the ICV website exclusively for members, assessment of opportunities for simultaneous interpreting of conferences and meetings with international guests.

2) Establishment of a new expert work group “Green controlling”.

3) The Ideas Factory (a new expert group that was established in November 2009) will focus in 2011 on the topic "Behavioural Controlling".

4) ICV will concentrate in 2011 in its expert work on the following topics: a) Sustainable Controlling: Discussion of the Paper "Green Controlling"; Concretisation of the "10 key requirements for Sustainable Controlling”; b) Modern Budgeting: Broad discussion of the implications in the practice and examples for implementation; c) Value orientation after the crisis, including risk management and working capital management; d) Quality and Controlling: discussion of DIN SPEC 1086 "Quality standards in Controlling”, Process-model Controlling.

5) In January 2011 the ICV Board will take decision on the various types for international membership.

6) The ICV Board will present to the general members meeting in 2011 a proposal about adjustment of the membership fees.

7) The presentation about ICV in German and English will be adapted to the image brochure of ICV and published on the ICV website.

On 27th of November ICV board, regional delegates, committee chairmen, press officer, senior technical editor and office staff met for a regular management meeting in Frankfurt. Among all topics discussed a special attention was given to topics like the exchange of information and ideas and the further development of ICV.

At the beginning both new regional delegates Edita Szarska from Poland and Rainer Linse from Southern Germany introduced themselves. After that the delegates reported about their regions. They highlighted the regional conferences that took place this year, and especially the “Swiss conference”, “Controlling Competence Stuttgart” and "Controlling Insights Steyr" which had developed very successfully. The participants advised a number of measures how to optimise the preparation and organisation of the regional conferences in 2011.

The regional delegates announced many new projects in their presentations. Dragica Erčulj, delegate for South East Europe informed about the imminent establishment of the first ICV work group in Croatia. The Austrian regional delegate and ICV deputy chairman Heimo Losbichler announced the start of work group "Bregenz". Rainer Linse added that another work group will enrich Region Southern Germany.

A main topic in the discussions proved to be the further internationalisation of ICV. English will be promoted as the second official ICV language and play a key role. All participants agreed to start an "English-offensive" in ICV, amongst others, statements and other documents will be translated for non-german speaking members and other interested readers.

Working in small groups the participants addressed issues such as internal and external communication and how to gain more company memberships.

ICV chairman Siegfried Gänßlen expressed his special thanks to the regional delegates for their hard work and asked them to forward his thanks to every work group leader as well. Gänßlen showed also his recognition to the work of the Ideas Factory (a new expert group that was established in November 2009).

Next meeting of all work group leaders has been planned for November 2011.

On Friday 22nd of October in St. Petersburg took place the 20th symposium of the Russian Controller Association. It was led by Prof. Sergey Falko from the Baumann University in Moscow and attracted approximately 50 participants. Prof. Dr. Utz Schäffer (WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Institute for Management and Controlling, Vallendar; member of the ICV board of trustees) opened the conference with a lecture presenting selected results of the IMC / WHU-controller-panel that is significantly supported by ICV members. The second German lecture was given by Liudmila Häusser and Björn Baltzer (both from the Institute of Management & Controlling at the Bamberg University) and was about teaching of controlling at German universities.

End of October Ulrich Müller, chairman of the Spanish Circulo Controller together with Dietmar Pascher, partner and coach at the Controller Akademie (CA) invited on behalf of the ICV to a kick-off event in Barcelona to start the first ICV work group in Spain. About 15 participants from many different Spanish and German companies (KUKA Robots, Jungheinrich, Leoni Wiring, Hansgrohe, Seat, Frape Behr, etc.) discussed there the various management reports. At the end they all were convinced that future and regular international exchange of experience will be a big advantage for them. Other meetings and events were planned. All dates of the future events of the newly established Spanish work group will be published on the ICV-website and also on website of the German Chamber of Commerce in Spain: www.circulocontroller.com.

The status achieved with the implementation of the ICV’s Business Plan, the ICV’s model, memberships of companies and cooperation with companies, further internationalisation as well as the upcoming meeting of the governing bodies and the preparation progress of the Controller Congress 2011 were the focus points of the Management Board’s meeting held on 11th September in Frankfurt/M.

ICV is on the right path, the objectives for the year 2010 are clearly visible. They comprise: the successful 35th Controller Congress held on 14th/15th June 2010; the 31 member companies won in the meantime; the continuous dynamic formation of the ICV Online Media (an internet survey is being prepared on the impact of the website launch); the focused work and development of expert circles (a meeting of the expert circles’ leaders takes place annually before the members’ convention); a successful start of the newly established workshop of ideas; the announcement of two statements (the exclusive publications for ICV members only should remain).

The core subject of the Board meeting in January 2011 will be the quality improvement of the work group’s undertakings. Further efforts will be concentrated on winning more member companies. For that reason the advertising and support concepts should be clearly defined considering the experience gathered so far.

In order to achieve a broader involvement of the work groups, the Board passed a resolution on testing an “ICV Licence Model“ in Poland. Parties interested who are not ICV members can thus take part in AK meetings against a participation fee. The experience gathered in Poland should be assessed until the end of 2011. In addition, specifically globally active companies should be approached in the coming months and the controllers of their foreign affiliates should be recommended the establishment of cooperation with ICV on a local level.

Other projects adopted by the ICV’s Management Board include – provided there is sufficient interest – preparation of an international conference for further development of quality standards in Controlling, Process Model Controlling and the Controller’s model. In addition, ICV is going to build up its presence on Facebook.

Convincing topics and committed participants - the september-meeting of the lithuanian working group turned out to be a great success. Read all about the event and the plans for further meetings here.

In 2008 the ICV PR committee started a new initiative to benefit from the possibilities offered by web 2.0. The committee wanted to make the controllers' know-how available to everyone and to create a space for public discussions. This is how the idea to create a wiki for controllers was born.. Read more here (Download pdf).

Dr. Wolfgang Berger-Vogel is Chairman of the International Group of Controlling (IGC). Until 2005 he was CFO of Brau Union and until 2008 Chairman of the International Controller Association (ICV). He gave an overview to "Controlling International" on the latest IGC results and its current untertakings. Read more here (Download PDF).

The German word “controlling” is translated into “(Internal) Management Control” ((内部)管理控制) in Chinese. This difference is due to the fact that “controlling” has a negative connotation in the Chinese context. Read more here (Download PDF)

In Croatia the tasks of controlling departments are for the most part reduced to reporting, i.e. to filling out parent company business report forms. The role of controlling is still that of a passive observer and an analyst of past business events, or simply that of the bearer of (bad) news. This is why we who promote awareness of controlling in Croatia regard these times of crisis as our window of opportunity.

The ICV/ICA PR Committee is looking for a supporter/supporters* to work on the ICV/ICA English homepage.

You will be responsible for:

- Regular monitoring of the relevant controlling related websites in the German- and English-speaking countries;

- Summary and publishment of controlling articles, news, etc.;

- Regular update of the international websites;

- Editing of English Statements;

- Regular work on the English ControllingWiki;

- Support in the preparation of the monthly newsletter Controller's e-News and also the annual supplement to the Controller Magazin: Controlling International;

- Assistance in the editing of the ICV/ICA English homepage in cooperation with the colleague in charge;

We expect:

- Good, if possible practical knowledge in controlling, based on the approaches of Dr. Deyhle or the ICV/ICA-concept:

- Interest in international trends in controlling/business economics

- Good written English, bigger translation tasks can be taken over by external translation office

- Capability to write

- Basic IT knowledge

The time required per week is 4-8 hours; of course when you are on leave you are excused if you can’t perform.

The reward is the recognition you get with your commitment from the ICV/ICA-Board, the ICV/ICA members and the colleagues in controlling. You are part of a dedicated and friendly international team, which also works voluntary. You benefit from the direct exchange and the opportunity to share your own experience. An allowance will only be paid for the purchase and use of IT equipment.

* Whether woman or man, you are welcome!

Send applications to:

Herwig R. Friedag

Head of ICV PR Committee

Beskidenstraße 33

14129 Berlin

consult@friedag.com

030 80 40 40 00

Kienbaum Consultants International conducted the survey "Remuneration in Eastern Europe 2010" on remuneration in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. The results of the study point out the fact that in spite of the crisis the salaries continue to rise in 2010; however the average growth of 4.5 per cent is more moderate than in the previous years.

The best paid managers are the Russian ones; they are closely followed by their colleagues in Poland, the Czech Republic and Croatia. In businesses with over 500 employees Russian executives earn an average of EUR189,258 per annum. Their colleagues in Romania receive but a third of this amount, namely EUR 57,322. In comparison to Austrian and German executives who earn between EUR 305,000 and EUR 328,000, the Central and Eastern European nations still lag far behind.

Download the complete Kienbaum survery.

High qualified expert team makes up the ICV Ideas Factory that refocused and increased its staff / "germ cell" for innovations in controlling

The Internationaler Controller Verein (ICV) has appointed Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth, managing director of the International Performance Research Institute GmbH (IPRI) and chairman of the Horváth AG, and Dr. Uwe Michel, Senior Partner and head of the Competence Center Controlling and Finance at Horváth & Partners, leaders of the association's Ideas Factory.

The Ideas Factory will systematically and regularly analyse the controlling practice as well as the controlling relevant environment and work out new ideas for further developing the controlling.

Findings from related disciplines as well as ecological and social developments will be evaluated and prepared with regard to their relevance for controlling.

A successful company controlling needs to constantly adapt to new corporate structures and a changing business environment and help to shape them.

Only through the continuous development of new concepts and tools can the success of controlling be ensured in the long term. For this purpose, trends and changes need to be early detected and implemented.

As "germ cell" for innovations in controlling, the ICV's Ideas Factory increased its staff in November 2009 and reorientated itself as regards content. The Ideas Factory will systematically analyse the controlling relevant environment to identify new development trends in controlling. The Ideas Factory aims at starting new projects, thus strengthening the role of the ICV as theme setter in the financial and controlling community. Prof. Horváth took over the leadership of the Ideas Factory from the founder and long-term director of the committee, Manfred Blachfellner. The ICV Board thanked Blachfellner for his work in a dignified manner.

The ICV with its more than 6.000 members throughout Europe represents the international address for controlling competence. The association expects the Ideas Factory to identify trends and to prepare practical experience along with latest research results for the practical implementation.

A team of acknowledged controlling experts

In future, the topics of the Ideas Factory will be chosen by the two acknowledged controlling experts Prof. Péter Horváth and Dr. Uwe Michel. To scout, assess and develop new ideas, the management will be supported by a core team: Siegfried Gänßlen (chairman of both Hansgrohe AG and the ICV), Prof. Heimo Losbichler (head of the course of studies Controlling, Accountancy and Financial Management at the Technical College Upper Austria and deputy chairman of the ICV), Dr. Lars Grünert (managing director of the Trumpf Laser GmbH + Co. KG), Karl-Heinz Steinke (head of the department Corporate Controlling Deutsche Lufthansa AG), Manfred Remmel (former chairman of the ICV) as well as Manfred Blachfellner (founder and long-term head of the ICV Ideas Factory).

During its first year of operation the new Ideas Factory will focus on the topics „Green Controlling" and „Behavioural Controlling". Practical ideas for the integration of environmental aspects into controlling shall be developed. In the context of behavioural controlling, it is to be investigated how to improve relevant behavioural findings, methods and tools of controlling as well as the cooperation between controlling and its customers within the company. Starting with 2010 a regular newsletter will inform the organs of the ICV as well as all parties interested in controlling about the latest trends in controlling and the activities of the Ideas Factory.